Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to review the FY13 TTF Budget Manual to successfully complete the budget process? You may be able to complete the budget process without any help at all; however, the budget manual has been developed to answer almost any question you may have and we recommend reviewing the manual to assist you in completing your budget request before contacting Compensation Board staff for assistance.
Do I need to contact my technology vendor prior to completing the TTF budget request process in August? Prior to completing the budget request process in August, Clerks need to obtain from their technology vendor an estimate or breakdown of their technology needs for the current fiscal year. This information is vital in preparing a TTF budget.
Can I see my $4 available funding before I start the budget process? Access the Compensation Board website at http://www.scb.virginia.gov under the tab Land Records Technology for FY13 TTF $4 Available Funds. In March 2012, an estimate of the FY13 TTF $4 available funding was provided and is located on the Compensation Board website under the tab Constitutional Officers Budgets and Salaries / FY13 Budget Estimates / choose locality and select Clerks Technology Trust Fund Revenue Estimates.
Do I need to print my TTF screens? Save (ENTER) and print (SCREEN PRINT) every page as you are completing the TTF budget process in case you have technical problems and need help. These screen prints may also serve as a valuable “history” of TTF budgeting for mid-year or subsequent years.
What does it mean when I certify “Yes” to providing secure remote access (SRA) to land records? Indicating YES to SRA means that ALL of the following is TRUE:
P The Clerk’s technology vendor has established a website or system in compliance with the security standards established by the Virginia Informational Technologies Agency (VITA) for the purpose of providing SRA to land records’ images;
P The Clerk has established a process whereby the public (non-governmental entity or individual) may register for subscription to the SRA, and if approved by the Clerk, sign a subscription agreement, may pay a subscription fee and receive a security password(s) for remote access to electronic land records;
P The Clerk has accepted / is willing to accept public subscribers to SRA; and
P The Clerk has made the public aware of the availability of SRA to land records (as appropriate).
How do I create line items in my TTF $4 budget? Required fields for a $4 request are:
· SEL – The SEL field allows 1 character.
o A to add a new line item;
o U to update a line item that has already been entered; or
o D to delete a line item that has already been entered.
· Vendor – Enter your locality, Supreme Court or private vendor for equipment and services. The Vendor field allows 20 characters.
· Line Item Description – Line item descriptions should be specific and concise. Duplicate line item descriptions are not allowed. The Line Item Description field allows 20 characters.
· Description Code – The Description Code field allows 2 characters.
o B for back scanning or conversion services;
o E for equipment and/or software;
o MR for maintenance of records system;
o MS for maintenance of Secure Remote Access;
o R for redaction services; or
o O for other / miscellaneous services.
· Purpose Code – The Purpose Code field allows 1 character.
o L for land records requests or
o N for areas of the court not related to land records.
· Total Cost – Enter a total cost for each line item request. The Total Cost field allows 11 characters.
Am I eligible to request money from the $1 Fund budget during the TTF August budget period? Clerks may request money from the $1 Fund (Option 7) provided their $4 available funding is fully budgeted AND no Purpose Code N request was made from $4 money. Clerks who have zero $4 available funding have priority for approval from the $1 Fund. At the September Board meeting, the Compensation Board will consider all requests for $1 Fund monies on a case-by-case basis for consistency with Code requirements regardless of historical fund collections. Required fields for a $1 Fund budget are EXACTLY the same as those for a $4 budget with these exceptions:
· Description Code O (for other / miscellaneous services) is not available from the $1 Fund.
· Purpose Code N (for areas of the court not related to land records) is not available from the $1 Fund.
Can I request TTF money for redaction services? Clerks may request $4 or $1 Fund money to purchase back file or day forward redaction services from a vendor. All redaction requests require additional documentation: 1) quote from the Clerk’s redaction vendor AND 2) Redaction Form (located at the end of the Appendix in the FY13 Budget Request Manual, or at www.scb.virginia.gov under the tab Land Records Technology). See the FAQ below for the information that must be included on the vendor quote and redaction form. Fax the quote and form to the Compensation Board, to the attention of Paige Christy, (804) 371-0235. Requests for redaction services will NOT be considered if unaccompanied by the information outlined below.
What information does the Compensation Board require to approve a redaction request? The Compensation Board requires the following information on the redaction quote from the vendor AND the Redaction Form (see above FAQ). These recommendations come from Methods for the Redaction of Social Security Numbers form Electronic Land Record Documents Report (October 2006) by the VITA Redaction Workgroup.
1. Back File or Day Forward Redaction.
2. Type of Redaction. The recommended redaction method is the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software plus one manual review by a trained technician who provides a quality control measure (OCR + 1X). Other types of redaction include a software-only purchase and software plus a double manual review (OCR + 2X).
3. Cost per Image. The maximum cost of OCR + 1X method of redaction is 4 cents or less per image. The same cost applies to day-forward redaction services.
4. Total Cost. The total cost for all types of images.
5. Type of Image. Types of land records’ images include deeds / deeds of trust, wills / fiduciary, judgments / liens, financing statements, and plats / maps (Purpose Code L). Images dealing with areas of the court not related to land records include marriage licenses and civil / criminal court cases (Purpose Code N).
6. Number for each Type of Image. The number of images expected to be redacted for each type of image (5) listed above. If applicable, the number of Purpose Code N images expected to be redacted.
7. Span of Years for each Type of Image. Back-file redaction covers the period of January 1935 to the present. Day forward redaction may include the current fiscal year or one or more years in the future.
8. Accuracy Rate. The Workgroup recommended at least a 95% accuracy rate or greater for the OCR + 1X redaction method.
9. Manual Review. Ask your vendor if the manual review (+ 1X) applies only to the images flagged by the OCR software or if every image is reviewed by the human eye.
Your technology vendor has the above information. This information must be provided to the Compensation Board in the form of redaction quote and FY13 Redaction Form. Redaction requests are not considered valid unless accompanied by the above information.
Additional charges for training, installation, and maintenance must be incorporated into the 4 cents or less per image cost. Redaction line item requests in TTF budgets, because they require additional information, should not be intermingled with other TTF equipment and/or services requests. Redaction funding may not be used for any other purpose.
Can I request TTF money for areas of my court not related to land records? Pursuant to 17.1-279 B, Code of Virginia, Clerks may request $4 money for areas of their court other than land records (Purpose Code N requests). Pursuant to the Code of Virginia, the Compensation Board may not approve Purpose Code N requests from the $1 Fund. If the Compensation Board approves a Purpose Code N request from $4 money, NO $1 Fund requests from the Clerk will be considered for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Does the Compensation Board require a RFP process / multiple bids from TTF vendors? The Compensation Board does not involve itself with the locality’s RFP / bidding process for purchased goods and services. In dealing with TTF vendors, Clerks must follow their specific locality’s procurement guidelines and comply with State law.
Does TTF pay for personnel in the Clerk’s office? As directed in § 17.1-279 B, Code of Virginia, funds may not be used for personnel costs within the Circuit Court Clerks’ offices. TTF cannot fund staff to ease workload conditions in either the land records area or areas of the Clerk’s office not related to land records. TTF may reimburse a vendor for services such as back scanning court records because it is directly related to the stated purpose of TTF: automation and technology improvements for SRA to land records. The vendor must be someone other than the Clerk’s office and the employee must have clearly defined work hours that relate directly to the TTF purpose; however, a vendor may be the locality if the locality is providing such TTF services to the Clerk’s office.
In September, what will the Compensation Board consider in approving the FY13 TTF budget requests? The Code of Virginia set the deadline for providing SRA to land records on or before July 1, 2008. In approving TTF budgets, the Compensation Board will be looking for line items that show a Clerk’s ongoing commitment to providing SRA to land records and the accompanying equipment, services and maintenance costs associated with SRA. Clerks who do not submit a certification for providing SRA to land records (Option 2 on the TTF Main Menu in COIN) will receive no allocation from TTF.
Can I get help if I am having technical problems completing my TTF budget? Email Paige Christy at or Charlene Rollins at if you are experiencing technical problems and are unable to complete your TTF budget. Attempt to complete your TTF budget as early in the month of August as possible. The final week of August is extremely busy for Compensation Board staff involved in the TTF budget process.
When is the last possible date to complete my FY13 TTF budget in COIN? Midnight, August 31, 2012 is the deadline, but do not wait until the last week of August to begin the TTF budget process. If you have problems, you will get timelier customer service in the first half of August than in the second half.
When do I receive my TTF funds? TTF is a REIMBURSEMENT system and therefore no different than your monthly office expenses reimbursement process. The Code of Virginia, § 15.2-1636.13, provides: 1) the local governing body must first appropriate all funds for expenditure, 2) the expense is incurred, 3) the locality pays the expenditure and 4) reimbursement is requested from the Commonwealth, in that order. TTF does not prepay technology expenses. On a monthly basis, TTF reimbursement may not exceed 50% of the budgeted amount or the total available cash, whichever is greater. On the reimbursement screen each month COIN will show the TTF $4 available cash. $4 available cash is the prior-year unbudgeted and unexpended cash plus the current year-to-date cash collections. Upon making a reimbursement request in COIN, the Clerk must certify that expenditures listed are those actually incurred in the conduct of official business of the Clerk of the court for the month rendered and that invoices covering these expenditures have been submitted to the Board of Supervisors or their authorized agent for payment. The locality representative must also certify that expenditures have been verified and approved by the Board of Supervisors or authorized agent for payment. Contact Paige Christy at for questions involving TTF reimbursement.
Do $4 and $1 Fund monies carry over from one fiscal year to the next? FY13 $4 cash collections that exceed reimbursements will carry over to FY14. Unbudgeted and unexpended $4 cash will carry over. Line item descriptions will not carry over from year to year. Clerks must create a new TTF budget with new line items every August. Unexpended $1 Fund monies will not carry over. This policy has changed from prior years because $1 Fund allocations are now dependent upon the level of current-year incoming collections and budgeted amounts based on projected collections cannot be guaranteed.
What if I decide to change my TTF budget mid-year? If your TTF budget needs a mid-year change, consult the FY13 TTF Mid-Year Docket / Non-Docket Request Packet on the Compensation Board website located at http://www.scb.virginia.gov under the tab Land Records Technology. You must determine whether your mid-year change requires docket action or is a non-docket request. Contact Paige Christy if you have questions about mid-year TTF budget changes. The Compensation Board does not guarantee access to unbudgeted $4 funds mid-year. Decisions regarding mid-year access to unbudgeted $4 monies are made on a case-by-case basis. Contact Paige Christy for questions regarding a mid-year docket or non-docket request at .